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My Goodness is a Seattle-based blues/garage rock band that consists of Joel Schneider (guitar and vocals) and Andy Lum (drums). The band has existed since 2011, playing predominately in the Pacific Northwest and releasing one self-titled album that same year. My Goodness was on hold for the majority of 2012, but with the recent addition of Andy Lum on drums, it has found a renewed purpose and is ready to move forward with a heavier, more aggressive sound. Somehow straddling the line between raw and refined, MG doesn't sacrifice technical precision in the name of punk rock: they strive to marry both.

While teaching at the progressive International School in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, choral-music instructor Michael King had a very promising, if somewhat introverted, vocal student named Joel Schneider. "He was quiet and very unassuming," recalls King via phone from his office at Interlake High School, where he now teaches. "He didn't draw much attention to himself, and was almost a bit shy. However, he never had a fear of performing."

As a young teen, Schneider took in the sounds of Nirvana, Beck, Butthole Surfers and other alt-rock staples that local station KNDD kept in heavy rotation. But back in school, he continued to impress King with his work in choir.

"He had perfect intonation," says King. "He never sang wrong notes and he had great control over his voice." During his senior year, Schneider entered the soloist competition at the prestigious Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, taking first prize amongst tenors, and performing before 5,000 rapt audience members.

As an older teen his interest in punk and the local Seattle hardcore scene began to blossom. He began falling in love with the more caustic, progressive sounds of bands like Rites of Spring and The Blood Brothers. The latter was also a major influence on a fellow Bellevue teen and budding drummer, Andy Lum, who regularly attended all-ages gigs in Bellevue, drawing inspiration from bands big on that circuit, including Waxwing and These Arms Are Snakes.

Schneider first encountered Lum while they were playing in rival bands during a high school battle of the bands. "He was far and away the most talented drummer there," says Schneider. "I remember the janitor of the school coming up to him after the show and gushing over how amazing his drumming was."

The next time Schneider saw Lum was in 2011, when he was playing drums with Seattle-based primal art punks Wild Orchid children. "He stole the show for me," continues Schneider. "I knew if I had a chance to ask a drummer to play with me it would be him. He has the rare ability to be extremely technical but still flow and groove without sounding rigid or mechanical."

In early 2012, he got that chance when the two connected at SXSW in Austin, TX. Later that year Schneider was in search of a new drummer for My Goodness, and the possibility of collaborating musically with Lum was finally realized. The pair recently recorded at Seattle's London Bridge studios with esteemed Seattle producer Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Temple Of The Dog, Blind Melon). The 7-inch for "Cold Feet Killer" b/w "I've Got a Notion" is set for release in February, when My Goodness will also be returning to the studio to record a new full-length album with Parashar.

On a frigid January morning, Seattle quintet Smokey Brights packed every piece of gear they owned into a van and set up a recording studio in a massive barn on a Christmas tree farm in rural Carnation, WA. With the help of Cameron Spies and Elisabeth Ellison from Portland band Radiation City, the band filled their drafty, spooky studio with the sounds of what was to be their debut full length record, “Taste for Blood.” After nine chilly days, stopping only to eat and sleep in a lofted apartment area above the barn, the crew emerged with an enigmatic and complex record. Rooted in 70’s rock, the band traced surprising lines between new wave, folk, shoe gaze, Memphis soul, psychedelia, and blue color rock and roll. “Taste For Blood” hearkens back to a time when records were less of a collection of attempted singles, and more of holistic emotional journey, a lush landscape to get lost in.

The recording session started off what was to be a huge year for the group. In summer, singer/ guitarist Ryan Devlin and vocalist/ keyboardist Kim West got married, with the rest of the band in the wedding line. The band also brought their AM-pop-magic to a number of the Northwest’s biggest festivals, including Timber! and Bumbershoot. Shortly thereafter, Smokey Brights released “Taste for Blood” to a resoundingly warm reception. The album – self-recorded, self-released, and entirely self-funded (no Kickstarter, no record deal, and no trust fund) – wound up on a number of “best of” lists, including that of DJs Marco Collins, Milo Miles, and Kevin Cole, and earned the band a spot in near constant rotation on KEXP. The record release show at Seattle’s Tractor Tavern sold out before the doors even opened.

Despite these successes, the band remains as they have been since their beginnings in 2011: best friends. Bassist Jim Vermillion and drummer Nick Krivchenia have been hard forged brothers in rhythm for over a decade, having met studying audio engineering at Evergreen State. The two have been in bands ever since, including their experimental bass-loop duo Armed With Legs. Lead guitarist Mike Kalnoky and songwriter Ryan Devlin met playing in Seattle punk bands in the mid aughts, where Kalnoky’s melodic and textural playing first caught Devlin’s ear. Devlin and keyboardist Kim West have been playing music together at home for years and are delighted that their naturally harmonizing voices are reaching greater audiences. Through the countless hours of collaboration that has forged the band, the members have become even closer as friends. If Smokey Brights appear to be having a better time than anyone else in the room, it’s because they probably are.

Sat 10/21

$26 Adv.

Tue 8/22

Thu 8/31

$13.50

Wed 9/20

$12 Adv.

Our History

Since 1991, music fans far and wide have recognized the Crocodile as Seattle's best live music venue. There is no other spot in the 206 with such a storied and beloved past, and no other rock and roll venue that has earned its right to occupy the hearts of so many.

Incredible bands played within the walls of Belltown's much loved living room. Including: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Cheap Trick, R.E.M., Mudhoney, and Yoko Ono.